The Morning After - Amanecer's Translation
by SoneaKyraliana
Summary: After Harry's first year, the power freed by the magic used to kill Quirrel attracts a curious angel. The first encounter is followed by another, and another. Harry needs someone with whom he can be himself, Gabriel needs someones that sees beyond his customs, beyond the Trickster, beyond Loki. He needs someone that understands his love for his family. Someone like Harry. Slash.
1. Translation

I wrote this story at the beginning of this year and published it in Spanish and just thought 'why not try and translate it?' It's good practice and maybe someone will enjoy it. So I hope you like the story and I'll get a few reviews. I really love to know people's opinion on my stories and what I should change to write better.

The Morning After

Hadrian sighed, still not opening his eyes, and snuggled against the warmth that seemed to surround him everywhere.

The beautiful sound of his mates laugh rumbled under his ear and Hadrian sighed again, content.

"Are you not going to open your eyes?"

"To discover everything has been just a dream? No, thanks."

"Why would it be a dream?" Hadrian could practically hear the frown on his voice.

"Isn't every good thing in my life just that?"

The young man felt his mate shift under him to be able to look him to the face without having to let go of him, but he continued with his eyes closed.

"Hadrian, open your eyes." pleaded.

The boy opened them reluctantly, but his complaints were forgotten when his eyes found his lover's.

The rising sun's rays of light that entered through the window gave his skin a golden tinge and he couldn't help but wonder if he might not have been really Miguel Angel's model. A hand caressed his cheek and he leaned into the touch.

"This is no dream, Hadrian. I'm not leaving you."

Hadrian looked away at the intense look of love in Gabriel's face. It was still so hard to believe that he was loved.

"Look me in the eyes, Hadrian." ordered the archangel. "You won't be alone ever again. Not while I'm alive."

Hadrian felt his eyes fill with tears at the honesty of his mate and lifted his head to bring their lips together for a soft and chaste kiss.

"I know. It's just hard to believe that everything's over now…"

"Well, believe it, Hadrian. Everything's over. We're alive and we're together. And this time nothing will part us."

Hadrian relaxed in the arms of his lover and closed his eyes, letting his lips stretch into a small smile and the angel's words take away his doubts.

His smile widened at the memory of the previous night.

" _Hadrian."_

 _The young man known by most as Harry James Potter turned around instantly and the stone he was holding slipped from his hand._

" _Gabriel."_

 _The name left his lips before he could even think it, making the man smile._

" _Only you would be able to recognize me after changing of body."_

 _Harry smiled too, forgetting for a moment everything about his mission._

" _Why have you changed your appearance?"_

" _My previous vessel suffered… uh, a… little accident._

" _You're okay?"_

" _Yeah, I'm okay." answered the angel smiling a little more at his obvious concern._

" _Then, why are you here?"_

" _If I were anyone else I would think you're not happy to see me." commented the angel._

 _Harry couldn't help but smile slightly. Of course he was happy to see him. If he was going to die, he was the only person he wanted by his side._

" _I'm sorry I didn't come sooner." apologized._

" _Don't worry." answered the teen after blinking._

 _The archangel seemed relieved for a moment before closing the distance between them in a few strides and drawing him to his chest, hugging him._

 _Gabriel's new body was thin, well-defined and of harsher features. And taller. Much taller._

 _Usually that would have bothered Harry because, although Gabriel had always been a little taller than him, by his side it had never been so clear how really short Harry was._

 _This time, though, Harry noticed that Gabriel's height made him feel safe._

" _Come with me." whispered a voice right next to his ear._

 _When his brain processed the words, Harry tensed and forced himself to pull away._

" _Hadrian?"_

" _I can't." answered trying not to sound broken and reminding himself he had a mission to complete. "I can't abandon them."_

 _For a moment Gabriel looked confused but it didn't take him long to understand._

" _I'm not asking you to abandon them for me, Hadrian. come with me, when everything's over."_

 _Harry looked at him sadly. Should he tell him? Who could he trust if not Gabriel?_

" _When everything's over… I won't be here anymore, Gabriel."_

 _The angel's gaze sharpened and Harry crouched down to collect the stone he had so carelessly let fall, trying not to look up for us long as possible._

" _What do you mean? What are you doing here in the forest, Hadrian?" asked Gabriel for the first time looking around with suspicion._

" _The final battle has begun. Hogwarts is besieged. The Hogwarts' Army and the Order of the Phoenix are here. Voldemort has offered me to let them live in exchange of my rendition."_

" _You can't be serious! You know his word is worth nothing!"_

" _I know, Gabriel, but I have no other option. I must die so he will die too."_

" _I won't allow it." said the archangel shaking his head and grabbing him by the arms with strength._

" _You cannot intervene." was the young man's simple response._

 _Harry looked at Gabriel as his shoulders dropped._

" _There must be another way. They don't deserve your sacrifice." whispered the angel gazing at his face with desperation._

" _Maybe you're right. Maybe the Order of the Phoenix, the Ministry of Magic and all those that refuse to help in this war, to fight for their freedom, don't deserve it. But, what of the children, Gabriel? What about them? What about the innocent children who die every day at the hands of Voldemort and his Death Eaters? What about the families which die to protect them? Don't they deserve an opportunity to live without constant fear that doesn't allow them to enjoy it? And what about all those that have died trying to change this world? Don't they deserve it either? Don't they deserve for their deaths to have some sense?"_

" _Hadrian…" muttered the angel looking at him with pain. Gabriel closed his eyes an instant and, when he opened them again, his face showed confidence. "It's been centuries since I last was in Heaven and I don't know your destiny. But I believe, I know, that it's still not your time. I can feel it, his power, running through your blood."_

 _Voldemort? Could he feel his power? Could he see the taint that it had left on his soul after seventeen years? Harry didn't understand and Gabriel didn't comment it again._

" _I only want you to answer me one question." whispered hugging him again. "Would you come with me? If you were still alive when everything ended. Would you be able to leave the wizarding world behind and come with me?"_

 _Harry closed his eyes, feeling them fill with tears against his wishes. Deciding to allow himself to dream a little more, he opened his eyes and looked directly at Gabriel._

" _If I were still alive I would follow you to Hell itself, Gabriel. As soon as Voldemort were dead, I would look for you and I would leave with you without looking back even once._

" _And you would spend the rest of your life with me?" whispered the man with a passionate look._

" _Till the last of my days. We could look for a little house where none of your brothers or from the wizarding world could find us, or you could show me that supernatural world in America you have told me so much about. Anything as long as we're together."_

 _Gabriel closed his eyes with a small smile and brought their foreheads together._

" _That's all I needed to hear."_

 _A second later, his lips fell over the wizard's and Harry felt his insides melt._

 _The kiss was slow and soft at the same time as full of passion and so… Gabriel. The young man felt his heart ache when thinking that this would be his first and last kiss._

 _After all the talks shared at midnight, the caresses and hugs in empty rooms, after all that time between sweet words waiting for the right time it all came down to this._

 _A single farewell kiss._

 _A lonely tear slipped down his cheek and Gabriel cleaned it with a kiss that then used to trace the line of his jaw._

 _None of the two said a word and, shortly after, with a pain so deep that it was nearly physical, Harry forced himself to pull away from the archangel once more._

 _Looking at the stone he was still holding and that he had been thinking of using to call his family one last time, he realized he didn't need it. he would soon see his family once more._

 _The only person he wanted by his side in that time was Gabriel, but that was something he couldn't ask of his angel. It seemed it wouldn't be needed as Gabriel refused to leave him alone._

 _Without giving another thought to it, he put on the ring with the Resurrection Stone on a finger of his left hand and placed the Invisibility Cloak over his shoulders._

 _Harry walked by the forest till the clearing in which Voldemort waited with the calming and invisible presence of his angel surrounding him._

 _What happened after that was so fast that Harry only remembered snippets: Gabriel with tear filled eyes and determined face while a familiar green light reached him, King's Cross station and meeting there Death's Horseman, awakening in a clearing still surrounded by Gabriel's presence, pretending being dead, McGonagall's shout, the chaos of the battle, duelling Voldemort, the Elder Wand, his enemy's lifeless body falling to the ground…_

 _And, then, Gabriel._

 _His angel appeared just in front of him, smiling, and everyone present that had been about to start shouting in happiness fell silent, overwhelmed by that being's presence._

 _Harry smiled, a real and truly beautiful smile that until then only Gabriel had ever seen, and let himself be hugged by his archangel._

" _Your answer from before is still standing?" asked the archangel pulling away just enough to look him in the eyes._

 _Without even glancing at the people around them, Harry lifted his arms and encircled Gabriel's neck with them._

" _Let's go."_

 _The wizard didn't have to repeat it and suddenly they were in a bedroom, and he could have sworn he could hear Hermione saying that it was impossible to apparate in Hogwarts._

 _For a moment, he could feel nothing but relief. Harry Potter didn't exist anymore. Hadrian had been taking his place since, at the end of his first year, Gabriel had given him that name._

 _Harry Potter had been created, moulded with well-placed tests and a hard childhood. Gabriel had given an opportunity to the real Harry, an opportunity to be his own person, and a name with which finally leave behind Harry's past._

 _All his thoughts of the wizarding world or the bedroom they were in were forgotten in the instant that Gabriel's lips fell over his for the second time that day._

 _This time, though, Harry was aware of the warmth of his mate's lips against his, of his smell of dry pine needles and sugar creek and the softness of the hands on his face._

 _That kiss was filled of passion, desperation and love and Harry didn't know how long they were like that, simply kissing. There was nothing to say in that moment, nothing to do but to hold onto each other._

 _The angel moved one of the hands from his face to his waist and the other to the small of his back. Harry let himself be led back till his knees bumped against the bed._

 _Gabriel lowered him onto the mattress and carefully laid over him, joining their bodies and kissing him again with desperation._

 _That night nothing mattered except to get lost in the other's body._

Still smiling at the fresh memory, Hadrian opened his eyes again to see his angel looking at him with fondness.

"Thank you." whispered.

"What for?"

"For staying with me, for returning, for… for the best night of my life." answered blushing a bit.

"Mmm… the best night, uh? Why don't we turn it into the best morning? And maybe later we'll be able to work on turning it into the best afternoon." muttered Gabriel rolling so Harry was under him.

"That sounds good." laughed Hadrian letting himself be kissed.

"Perfect." muttered the angel against his lips.

"I love you." sighed when they parted.

"I love you too." whispered the angel closing his eyes and resting his forehead on his.

Shortly after, Gabriel grabbed him and rolled once more so he was on his back with Hadrian on top of him.

The boy hid his face on the crook between his neck and his shoulder and breathed deeply that sweet scent of pine that made him feel so safe, missing the weight of the archangel over him.

"I have to call Death so he can explain to me what exactly means being his Master." muttered Hadrian.

"Later."

"Did you know? Did you know that by dying after having claimed the Three Deathly Hollows I would became his Master?" asked Hadrian biting on his lower lip.

"I suspected so." answered Gabriel cautiously. After a few seconds of silence in which none of them said anything, the archangel asked: "Are you angry?"

"No."

After that, none of them knew how long they were that way, without saying anything until Hadrian finally broke the silence.

"What happened to you?"

"Mmm?"

"Last time we met you promised we would meet that night, but I haven't seen you in more than two weeks. And yesterday you said your previous vessel had suffered an 'accident'."

Gabriel sighed and raised a hand to Hadrian's head so he could play with his hair.

"Do you remember everything I told you about the Apocalypse?" Hadrian nodded. "I tried to stop Lucifer. He killed many pagan gods and goddesses and I tried to stop it. I created an illusion of myself to distract him talking and I approached from his back. I forgot that it was him that had taught me that trick. Lucifer…"

Sensing something strange in his voice, Hadrian raised his head and rested it on his chest so he could see his face.

"Lucifer stabbed me in the stomach with my own knife."

Hadrian's eyes widened and he was left without knowing what to say. The pain that his brother's betrayal had caused Gabriel was clear on his face.

"I don't understand how Lucifer can hate humans so much that he's ready to betray his own brothers. To kill his little brother." continued the angel. "He taught me how to fly, you know? He taught me everything I needed to know to be a good archangel.

"I'm sorry." whispered Hadrian not knowing what else to say.

Gabriel looked at him and tried to smile, but the gesture didn't reach his eyes and he decided to go on with the story.

"Luckily I hadn't been trying to kill him. If I had used my Archangel Sword I wouldn't be alive right now." Hadrian had to repress a shiver at the mere idea. "The sword I used was, in truth, of my own creation. It was similar enough to my sword that Lucifer didn't notice the difference, but it was designed to expel an angel's Grace from his vessel and force it to remain inactive for some time. I suppose I still have to perfect it as my Grace was inactive only for a week. Anyway, when it expelled my Grace the knife destroyed my previous body and, when I awoke, I spent the rest of the week looking for the right vessel. I knew you would be angry at me if I took the life of a faithful so let me tell you that I found this body in a hospital suffering from brain death.

Hadrian couldn't help but smile at knowing how important his opinion was to Gabriel and drew nearer to place a short kiss on the tip of his nose, managing to make the angel smile a little.

"Why did you choose this body?"

"In the beginning I thought about looking for one more similar to the previous one, but soon after an image of you in the arms of a taller me, safe, popped in my mind and I decided that being tall has its charm."

"You don't need to be tall to protect me." pointed out the younger one with a pout, secretly quiet happy with the safety that body made him feel.

"Mmm… I would offer to change my vessel but I enjoy too much seeing you like this, so small and delicate at my side.

Hadrian laughed and poked his chest in false reprimand, receiving a false grunt of pain in return.

"I thought something had happened to you." admitted suddenly serious. "That some of your brothers had found you and forced you back to Heaven. Or…"

"Or that I had abandoned you." finished Gabriel in a low voice.

"I was so worried… never before had you failed to show up when you had promised to come." sighed lowering his gaze to the angel's chest.

"I'm sorry." said the man softly.

"It was out of your hands."

"Not for that, Hadrian. For having made you doubt. For not having left you clear that I will never leave you. Ever, Hadrian."

"I know. I should never have doubted you." said before pausing. "I'm glad it wasn't your true sword." whispered finally.

"Me too, Hadrian. Me too." agreed the angel before grinning with mischief. "I couldn't bear the thought of dying without doing this."

Gabriel rolled on top of him again, holding his arms with a hand over his head and devouring his lips while with his other hand he held his waist against the mattress. Hadrian moaned, every previous thoughts or words forgotten, and let the feelings flood him until the only things left in his world were him and Gabriel.


	2. Chapter 1

I intended to leave this as a one-shot for a while but as you can already see it didn't work. So... this chapter was inspired by your reviews but, I'm sorry, that doesn't mean I'll update it regularly. I just had to take it out of my mind somehow. I suppose this is where the plot begins. Also, this chapter was written in English from the beginning so, although there will be some mistakes, it's not a trnslation anymore.

Hopeful Puppy: Thanks for your review, it really made my day. In regards to my English, I must admit I'm always reading fanfics in English and I've picked up a lot of things from them. I'll try to correct the mistakes that I find in the translation, but I would be grateful if you could point out any that you remember. And the part with Michaelangelo... I didn't realize I hadn't changed it until I read it a few days ago when I was writing this chapter jajaja. Anyway, thanks for the review and reading this story.

Thank you to all the other that left a review and I'm sorry that I can't reply to them right now as it's getting a little late, but I'll try answering them when I can.

Before I forget about it, there was a guest that asked if angels don't need consent to enter a body. Yes, they do need it. The reason why Gabriel managed to occupy a vessel without it will be explained later on, but feel free to ask if it's not explained well enough.

And now, please, enjoy the chapter. Thanks for reading this story!

Chapter 1

It had been a blissful week since Hadrian and Gabriel had left the magical world and they couldn't be happier about it.

They had travelled to America and Gabriel had started to teach Hadrian all he knew. Well, all that wasn't practical. His Grace may have awakened from the blade but there were still parts of it that he couldn't use. They had gone all over the United States, trying to find out what was happening with the Apocalypse.

It wasn't hard to get updated since they were able to simply ask Death about it. Well, Hadrian was able to do that.

The personification of Death sure wasn't as he had expected. That, though, was to be expected as there were really few people alive that could say they had met directly with Death. Meaning there was really no one at all.

Hadrian and Gabriel caught up fast. It wasn't hard at all since Gabriel had told everything to Hadrian over the years they had known each other and he had been 'dead' only for a week so he hadn't lost nearly anything.

In the week since they had arrived to America, they had nearly been discovered by angels twice, encountered a pretty angry ghost and fortunately managed to dodge any witch or wizard that came looking for Hadrian. And all that after they had spent the first three days in Gabriel's apartment. Or more accurately, his bed.

All in all, it had been a busy week.

With a content sigh, Hadrian turned around and snuggled up to the warm body besides him, feeling safe in the strong protective embrace of his angel.

A gentle kiss was pressed to his forehead and he couldn't help but smile.

"Good morning, love." was whispered on his ear.

Hadrian giggled, though he would deny it all his life, and opened his eyes to look at Gabriel. His lover, and wasn't that just strange, smiled brightly at him. Instinctively, Hadrian knew the archangel was up to something.

"What have you planed?"

"What? No 'good morning, Gabriel' for me?" mock gasped the Trickster.

Harry smiled and leaned forward to kiss his lips softly.

"Good morning, Gabriel." dutifully said the wizard. "Now, tell me what you've planed."

The archangel laughed loudly at that and smiled mischievously at him.

"It's time the Trickster returns."

HPGHPGHPG

Both Hadrian and Gabriel remembered well the rage the angel had felt when he first visited Hadrian outside of school and saw how he was treated by his relatives.

 _It was the summer after his second year in Hogwarts and the child was in the backyard, making sure there were no weeds left. It was just one more thing in the unending list of chores he had been assigned._

 _Gabriel was bored and so decided to pay a visit to a little wizard. They had only seen each other a couple of times since that first meeting in the dark of the infirmary at the end of his first year in Hogwarts, but he had found himself enjoying the company immensely those times._

 _He only had to extend his Grace and immediately felt it trying to reach out towards the little wizard's tantalising magic._

 _With a snap of his fingers, Gabriel found himself in the ordinary Privet Drive to see a not at all ordinary boy._

 _Gabriel walked to the house which was differentiated from the rest only by the number four on the door. The angel shuddered before walking to the door and knocking._

 _While waiting, the impatient Trickster took out a lollipop from a pocket, unwrapped it and popped it in his mouth._

 _Finally a woman opened the door. Gabriel's first thought was that she looked like a horse._

" _Yes? Can I help you?" asked the woman with a forcedly polite smile._

 _Gabriel put on his most charming smile, the one that as Loki had made Kali herself fall for him, and answered._

" _Yes, mistress, I was wondering if I could see Harry."_

 _Immediately, the woman's behaviour changed completely._

" _There's no Harry here."_

 _And the door slammed shut._

 _Gabriel frowned. He knew Harry lived there. He could feel it. Why had the woman lied so obviously, then?_

 _He knocked again._

" _What? I don't want your kind around here." hissed the woman after opening the door and seeing it was him again._

" _Mistress, I only want to see…"_

" _Go away."_

 _And she shut the door again._

 _Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose. That human was really starting to piss him off. He knocked on the door for the third and last — at least it better be the last— time._

 _The door opened again and Gabriel held it that way before the woman could do anything._

" _You're not going to close the door on my face again nor are you going to keep lying to me if you don't want me to start poking around the neighbourhood and catching your neighbours' attention."_

 _The horse faced woman's lips tightened in a thin line and she nodded after casting a suspicious and slightly scared look around._

" _What do you want?"_

" _As I said before, I want to see Harry. And before you say anything, I know he's here so, where's he?"_

" _He's in the backyard." grounded out the woman._

 _Gabriel nodded and, without saying anything, walked to the side of the house and went to the back garden. He thought he heard the woman mutter something scorning before closing the door, but he ignored it._

 _There were more important things to focus on._

 _A young boy, whom Gabriel knew to be nearly thirteen, was crouching on the ground, seemingly weeding the garden. Gabriel smiled mischievously, feeling the wizard's tantalising magic reach out to his Grace, and walked without making a sound until he was standing at Hadrian's back._

" _Hi." chirped._

 _The wizard jumped about a feet in the air before turning to him with wide eyes and Gabriel couldn't help but laugh loudly._

 _Hadrian blushed and glared at him, which in his opinion just made him look like an angry kitten and made him laugh harder._

" _Gabriel!" protested before covering his mouth with his hands and staring at the house's back door in fright._

 _For his part, Gabriel stopped laughing at the sight of a black mark on his wrist's pale skin. Now, he may be many things, but he wasn't stupid. He could put two and two together rather easily and he didn't like what these clues were hinting at._

" _Hadrian? How did you get that?"_

 _His voice was unusually serious and Hadrian noticed it immediately. The wizard lowered his sleeve even more so that it was once more covering the marks and looked away, unconsciously also raising the collar of his shirt over his neck._

 _Gabriel frowned and crouched down so he was eye level with Hadrian before he tugged on his hand and carefully turned it to see more clearly the dark mark._

" _I fell from my bed."_

 _Gabriel raised an eyebrow and looked at him with his lips pursed. It was hard to lie when a glance to your eyes always revealed your deepest secrets._

" _Hadrian, let's make a deal."_

" _A deal? What kind of deal?" asked the surprised young boy._

" _It's a simple one, really. I promise to never lie to you if you promise to never lie to me."_

 _Hadrian bit his lip, thinking carefully. He knew what Gabriel was trying to do. Could he risk it? But if he agreed, he would never have to worry about Gabriel lying to him. Slowly, he nodded in agreement._

 _Gabriel nodded firmly once and slowly tugged the collar of his shirt down, exposing his neck and the dark bruises in the shape of fingers that marred the pale skin._

 _Gabriel pressed his lips together at the sight and gritted his teeth, taking a deep breath._

" _Hadrian, who did these to you?"_

 _The wizard hesitated and gnawed on his bottom lip._

" _M-my uncle."_

 _Although he had already expected that answer or at least something similar, to hear his thoughts confirmed was like hitting his head against a brick wall._

" _I'll kill him." promised the archangel feeling strangely calm even seeing the bruises on Hadrian's neck and wrist._

" _No! Gabriel, please, it's okay."_

" _It's not okay!" snarled the angel, his calm demeanour shattering. "They've hurt you! Those bloody excuses for human being have dared lay a hand on you! That's unacceptable, Hadrian."_

" _I-I know, Gabriel…"_

 _The archangel raised an sceptical eyebrow._

" _I know." said this time more firmly. "You're making me see it, but, please, Gabriel, don't harm them."_

" _I'm not going to harm them. I'm just going to kill them."_

" _Please, Gabriel, don't." pleaded the young teen._

 _The archangel clenched his fists at his sides, looking into the imploring green orbs of the wizard before visibly deflating._

" _For you. I won't kill them, for you."_

 _Harry smiled brightly at him._

 _He wouldn't kill them. No. But he would make damn sure they understood what would happen should they dare harm his Hadrian again._

Hadrian still remembered how jumpy Vernon had been that summer after Gabriel's visit. But then Gabriel hadn't been half as furious as he could see him now.

Another difference was that there was fear alongside that rage as a demon held a knife to his little one's neck. There was nothing that could really kill Hadrian, right?

"Look, here's the deal: you let go of him and I don't kill you."

The demon laughed at him.

"I thought you were more intelligent than that, angel. You're not going to let me go alive and neither am I going to let him go alive."

Without waiting for an answer, the demon stabbed Hadrian on the chest and dumped him against a wall. At the same time, Gabriel jumped forward and snapped his fingers, pinning the demon to another wall and rushing to Hadrian.

The wizard was slumped against a wall, blood pouring out of the deep wound. The knife had pierced the lung and an artery.

Not for the first time, Gabriel cursed the bloody blade he had tried to stab Lucifer with. His power to heal still hadn't awakened. The archangel shakily gathered the human in his arms and tenderly kissed his forehead. With horror and pain filled eyes, and unable to do anything, Gabriel saw as his beloved bled out in his arms.

When the light left those mesmerising green orbs, the archangel held his breath. It felt like ages before the still body drew a shuddering breath and he felt relief wash over him.

"Gabriel?"

They didn't hear the demon's startled gasp. The archangel clenched his hands into fists, hating how shaky and scared his little one sounded. Without sparing a glance to the wide eyed demon still pinned to the wall before sweeping down and passionately kissing Hadrian.

The wizard returned the kiss willingly, letting it reassure him of his angel's presence and wash away his fear.

Gabriel carefully cupped his face and deepened the kiss. He had been so scared for a moment. It had been agony. He knew Hadrian was immortal, but knowing and seeing was definitely different. For a second, he had feared it had been a lie. That Death had tricked them into believing that so this would happen.

But then Hadrian had breathed in and Gabriel had known. He had known that Hadrian was his. But not his as his other lovers had been.

No.

Hadrian was his. His to protect. His to cherish. His to love. His friend. His lover. His soul. His only.

His for eternity.

He would be the one to protect Hadrian from the world. He would be the one to put Hadrian over the universe. He would be the one to make love to him. The only one.

And all because Hadrian was his.

Gabriel's.

The archangel desperately fought with the two top buttons of Hadrian's shirt before placing his hand on the skin beneath which his heart was. A beating heart.

A sudden sound made his head snap up and Hadrian released a whimper at the loss of contact.

Gabriel placed a soothing kiss on his forehead before glaring at the demon that had been trying to escape. The demon that had dared touch, hurt and kill his Hadrian.

"Oh, please, I don't want to see you two go at it, angel."

Said angel sincerely thought the demon had a death wish.

Hadrian flinched in Gabriel's arms at the voice, the pain of the blade being thrust in his chest still too fresh in his mind.

Slowly and very reluctantly, the archangel relaxed his hold on the wizard, stood up and helped him get up from the floor.

The man clenched his hands into fists at the sight of the crimson blood covering Hadrian. Gabriel breathed deeply to control his temper and leaned forward to kiss the wizard's forehead once more.

"Do you think you can apparate?"

"Yes." answered Hadrian confused.

"Then go home. I'll be there in a while." said Gabriel casting a dark look to the now scared demon.

"Gabriel…" it was obvious from his voice he was reluctant to do as told.

"Just do as I say, Hadrian." ordered Gabriel a bit harshly.

Hadrian hesitated briefly before nodding and disappearing. It wouldn't do to upset Gabriel even more. As he apparated away to the hotel room they were staying at, he failed to see the angel's guilty look.

The archangel gazed at the demon and smirked evilly. It was time to get creative.

"Do you know what an archangel's Grace can do to a demon when infused slowly?" asked Gabriel as if he were talking about the weather. "No? Neither do I. Let's find out!"

HPGHPGHPG

When Gabriel appeared in the sitting room, covered completely in blood, Hadrian stood up and nervously approached.

"Gabriel? Are you hurt?"

The archangel looked up from where he had been glaring at the floor and his gaze softened. It was obvious going by his wet hair that the teen had showered before he arrived, which was a relief since Hadrian covered in blood was a sight he didn't want to see ever again. At least not as long as the blood was Hadrian's.

"I'm fine. None of the blood is mine." The archangel run a hand down his face and met his eyes, noticing how relieved he seemed at the admission that the blood covering Gabriel was another's. "I'm sorry. About how I reacted. I shouldn't have talked to you like that…"

"No, no, it's okay, Gabriel, I…"

"No!" exclaimed the archangel walking up to him and putting his hands on his shoulders. "No, it's definitely not okay. I was worried and angry, at both the demon and myself, and I paid it with you. It's not right and I'm…"

Knowing that arguing about it being or not his fault would get them nowhere, Hadrian stood on his tip toes and pecked his lips softly.

"You're forgiven." whispered against them.

Gabriel felt himself relax at that and returned the kiss, deepening it and feeling Hadrian happily submit to him. It was something he was proud of. The fact that he was the only one Hadrian trusted enough to let go of his control.

When they separated to breath, Hadrian looked up at him through his long dark eyelashes.

"We should get you cleaned up."

Gabriel smirked and transported them to the bathroom with a snap of his fingers.

HPGHPGHPG

Gabriel was lying awake on the bed with a sleeping Hadrian cuddled up to his chest and the thin bedspread reaching up to cover Hadrian's lower back.

Gabriel had one hand folded up under his head while the other played with the wizard's hair. His gaze was lost on the ceiling as he thought back on the day.

He had felt so helpless when Hadrian died in front of him. His desperation had been obvious in the way he had made love to Hadrian once and again after his return. In the end, Hadrian had fallen asleep, exhausted.

Gabriel stayed awake, unable to take the image of Hadrian dead out of his mind. It would add up to his worst memories, right beside the memory of his little one dying at Voldemort's hands.

The day had begun well enough. They had gone to a town and begun playing with its inhabitants. Well, mostly Gabriel had done that. Then they caught the demon's attention and the rest, as it's said, was history.

He had put Hadrian in danger. He had only thought of having fun, of being the Trickster, and not the danger they would be in should they be discovered.

Hadrian had just got out of a war and Gabriel nearly thrust him into another. That was unacceptable.

They needed a place to hide. Somewhere his siblings and the demons wouldn't think to look for him if they somehow discovered he was still alive, nor stumble upon them by accident.

He could only think of one such place. They would have to lie low and Gabriel would have to put them in some kind of time loop, but it was doable. And rather risky.

Was it really worth the risk?"

Gabriel glanced down at his lover's peaceful sleeping face.

Yes. It was certainly more than worthy.

The angel brushed aside a few bangs of hair from his face and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

The decision was made.

HPGHPGHPG

Hadrian stirred in his sleep. He felt well-rested and happy. As usual, he took full stock of how his body felt. He was warm and relaxed and there was a pleasant soreness on his lower back that brought a smile to his lips.

Carefully opening his eyes to let them adjust, the wizard looked up to see the handsome face of his sleeping angel.

He spent a few minutes that way, simply gazing at the man as he slept and tracing his features with soft feather-light touches.

Remembering Gabriel's distress from the previous day, Hadrian got an idea to cheer him up. Taking care not to wake him up, Hadrian disentangled himself from his body.

The wizard leaned down to place a kiss on his cheek and walked out of the room.

Once in the kitchen, the teen started to prepare a great breakfast with lots of sugar.

HPGHPGHPG

Gabriel moaned Hadrian's name as he came down his throat and, as he laid panting on the bed, the angel looked down at the gorgeous teen and drew him into a kiss.

The wizard returned it happily, a heavy blush on his cheeks.

"What brought this on?" asked the angel.

Hadrian blushed and looked at him from under his long eyelashes with a shy smile playing on his lips.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Definitely. That was a wonderful wake up call, sweetheart."

His smile widened and the teen stood up from the bed to hand him a tray that he hadn't noticed resting on a bedside table.

"Are those pancakes with caramel syrup?"

"With an extra spoon of sugar. There's also extra sugary orange juice, homemade donuts and crêpes."

The angel felt his mouth water. He knew it would taste as heavenly as it looked and smelled. Then something occurred to him.

"Have you eaten?"

"Yes, I have. This is all for you."

Gabriel smiled and kissed his lips before digging in eagerly. Hadrian simply smiled, happy to make his angel happy, and allowed him to feed him a few bites of the sugary food.

HPGHPGHPG

After the wonderful breakfast his little one had cooked for him and a bit more of lovemaking in which Gabriel showed him just how grateful he was for such a thoughtful action, the angel and wizard settled for a rather serious talk about their future.

"I have been thinking about what happened yesterday. I put you in danger because my Trickster magic was restless and I won't…"

"Gabriel, it wasn't you fault."

"I put you in danger for a bit of fun."

"That wasn't your fault." cut him off Hadrian firmly. "Your magic was asking you to cause mischief. I definitely do not want you to end up hurt because you were trying to hide us. That's the whole point for hiding, in the first place: keeping us safe."

And he was right. When Gabriel came to the Earth and took his previous vessel, he hid between the pagan gods as the Trickster God of Norse religion, Loki. So many centuries of pretending had changed a part of his Grace so much that it was now more like magic than Grace.

That part had evolved and adapted enough that it could pass as a real God's power. That's why Gabriel could do things no other angel could.

Hadrian knew that the only reason why Gabriel had been able to occupy the body of a man in a coma was that he had been able to bend the rules slightly using his Trickster side. If the soul of the man had been there, Gabriel would have had to ask for its permission.

As it was, the man's soul had already gone to Heaven and Gabriel had used his identity as Loki to occupy the body. Once that was done, he had slowly added his Grace as it awakened.

But these changes also had disadvantages. For one, his Grace once in a while urged him to cause mischief— which as the archangel Gabriel he had already been inclined towards— even going so far as to cause him pain if ignored for too long.

The angel sighed, not wanting to argue with Hadrian over what he saw as a failure on his part, and simply nodded.

"Anyway, I have been thinking about it. The wizarding world is probably already looking for you or they will be soon and there are demons and angels everywhere. If we stay, we'll be discovered sooner or later. Sooner at this rate." the man stopped and took a deep breath. "I could put some kind of time loop around us. It would be more like a pocket dimension where time would flow differently."

"But wouldn't we need to stay in one place so you could put the loop in the area?" asked Hadrian with a cute confused tilt of the head. "Where would we live?"

"In Heaven."

Hadrian stared at him as if worried for his sanity and Gabriel chuckled.

"Say that again?"

"In Heaven." humoured him pleasantly the archangel.

"You want to hide in what is basically the Angel Fortress?"

"Yes, it's the perfect place, Hadrian." talked the Trickster excitedly. "Think of it. Heaven is, as you've said, a fortress. The Heavenly Host defends it fiercely. If they ever discover that I'm alive, they would never think to look for me in Heaven. It's perfect."

"I see your point, Gabriel, but it's risky. If we're caught…"

"Oh, come on, you thrive on danger as much as I do." smirked Gabriel making him blush. "Besides, we're not just going to enter Heaven. We're going to enter my own haven in Heaven."

"Your haven?" Gabriel nodded.

"Every angel has a place in Heaven that is theirs. Their own piece of Heaven. It can be anything from a blank space to a memory. If I'm not mistaken Columbo's, I mean Castiel's, haven is a Thursday afternoon."

"So this place is like… a room?" asked the human deciding not to comment on the last piece of information.

Gabriel looked thoughtful before nodding slowly.

"Yes, I suppose that would be the best way to describe it. Besides, it would be the ultimate prank, hiding from the angels in their own home. My Trickster magic should be appeased by that."

Hadrian bit his lip and looked out the window.

"What is your haven like?"

"I'm not really sure. It used to be a piece of the Paradise, but it usually changes with us. I don't know what it'll have become after all this time."

"And you're sure we can pull this off? You're sure they won't look for you there?"

Gabriel frowned and grabbed his hands in his, tugging so Hadrian would turn and look him in the eyes.

"Why are you so worried, Hadrian?"

The wizard gnawed on his bottom lip before sighing.

"I don't want them to find us and force you into something you clearly don't want any part in."

He was obviously referring to the Apocalypse. Gabriel raised a hand to caress his cheek and Hadrian leaned into the gentle touch with a sigh.

"I can see how much it hurts you to see your brothers and sisters fight each other. It hurts to see you suffer so, Gabriel. I only want you to be happy."

The archangel felt his chest fill with warmth at his concern and his face softened incredibly.

"Oh, Hadrian, sometimes I think you are too good to be real." muttered.

Hadrian blushed. Gabriel leaned forward and trapped his bottom lip with his teeth, sucking on it before his tongue sneaked in his mouth. By the time the youngest was released, he was breathless.

"I don't know how time will flow in this kind of loop. For all I know, the human race will have gone extinct and a new one taken its place by the time we come out but I really think it's our only option if we don't want to fight."

"Well, then, when are we leaving?"

The angel beamed at him.

HPGHPGHPG

They had been in Heaven for a month. At least it had been a month to them. They still didn't know the correlation between the time in their loop and the outside world. Nor where they interested.

Hadrian had given Death instructions not to allow Earth's destruction so they were free to enjoy their time together.

It was clear Gabriel hated hiding as much as he did, but Hadrian kept him occupied so he tried not to think too much on it.

Hadrian looked up from where he was sleeping on the angel's chest and smiled slightly. His sleeping lover was truly a sight to behold. He truly loved being able to see him without a vessel —and hadn't that been a surprise; Death could see everyone and enter everywhere, after all.

Still smiling, Hadrian carefully crawled out of bed, only stopping for a moment when the hands around his waist tightened a second before letting go.

The wizard put on one of Gabriel's shirts, which was more than large enough to cover him, and left the Master bedroom.

He was still amazed by the place. Gabriel's haven was big, probably one of the perks of being an archangel. Right now, they were on a two story house with a large garden that was an exact copy of a piece from Eden. The place didn't look as expensive as someone that didn't know Gabriel would expect, but it was definitely modern and homey. Hadrian had loved it from the first second.

As he entered the kitchen downstairs, the teen felt a shiver as the 'bubble' they were in shuddered.

A pair of strong arms appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around his middle, making him jump.

"Gabriel! You scared me!"

"Sorry, love." answered the angel staring out the window. "You felt it too?"

Hadrian nodded silently. Whatever it was, it didn't feel right.

"What do you think it was?" whispered the youngest leaning back against his chest.

"I don't know." sighed Gabriel running a hand through his hair and tightening the grip the other had on his waist. "But as long as it keeps away from us, it's not our problem." answered the archangel carding his fingers through the wizard's black hair.

HPGHPGHPG

Hadrian hummed as he took care of a beautiful bush of roses. It wasn't really necessary as the haven itself made sure everything was always perfect, but it was relaxing and the wizard loved it.

Gabriel was in the house, probably still staring at the oven and bemoaning having to wait. Hadrian had spent all the morning baking and now they only had to wait till the food was ready.

Hadrian had decided to spend that time gardening while Gabriel stayed in the kitchen, not taking his eyes from the food in the oven.

The wizard chuckled a little. The angel had such a sweet tooth. He wasn't sure if it was due to the changes he had undergone hiding as Loki or if he had already had that predisposition before, but he couldn't deny that the man loved anything that had sugar or tasted sweet.

Suddenly, he felt as if he was being watched. He told himself it was impossible. He would know if it was Gabriel, used to it as he was, and there was no one else there.

However, whatever it was that caused him this feeling, he felt unnerved by it. He had a bad feeling.

Hadrian looked around, but didn't see anything. Shaking his head and telling himself it was just his imagination, he got up. He wasn't in the mood for gardening anymore.

HPGHPGHPG

Gabriel looked up when Hadrian entered the kitchen and frowned at the look on his face.

"Is there something wrong, Hadrian?"

"No, no, I just… It's nothing."

The archangel got up from his chair and walked up to him before grabbing him by the waist, leaning down and placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

"It's not nothing, love. You look worried."

"I thought someone was staring at me, but I'm sure it was nothing. I'm just being silly."

Gabriel tensed at his soft words, but nodded and smiled widely, changing the topic.

"Do you think I could have some of those biscuits you baked? I'm dying of hunger here."

Hadrian laughed at his eagerness and took a step back.

"I'll check if they're ready."

"Okay, you do that and meanwhile I'll go take a bit of fresh air."

Both knew he was going to check that there was no one besides them in the haven, but none voiced it aloud.

Gabriel left the house and looked around. Not noticing anything out of place but knowing the teen was rarely wrong with this kind of things, the archangel closed his eyes and reached out with his senses.

He couldn't feel anyone in the vicinity and told himself they were paranoid. Yet the feeling of wrongness didn't leave him.

HPGHPGHPG

After finding out why the Archangel Gabriel's haven hadn't reacted as strongly as the others when the angels were forced out of Heaven, Metatron grew curious. There was nothing like a good mystery to keep one entertained. And the dead archangel's haven being under a time loop was definitely a mystery.

So he sneaked inside —not an easy feat— and found his curiosity growing.

There was a human there, tending to a bush of flowers.

The teen, for he didn't look older than eighteen, was beautiful. He had raven black hair, pale skin and a lithe built. His features were soft, but aristocratic. And his eyes… they were like green stars.

Metatron couldn't help but compare him to one of the nymphs that appeared in the stories of the Greek Gods that he had liked so much to read on Earth.

Suddenly, the human looked around as if sensing he was being watched and then shook his head.

He continued observing as the teen walked to the two story house and entered. He was about to get closer to the window, intent on looking through the window, when someone different walked out.

Metatron recognized him easily.

Gabriel.

What an argumental twist.

Things were going to get even more interesting, it seemed.

When Gabriel closed his eyes and stretched his Grace out, Metatron left. He wasn't ready to take on an archangel and he had plans to make.

HPGHPGHPG

He didn't know how it happened.

A moment before he had been quietly sitting on the sofa, enjoying a good book. The next, everything shook and the wards that held the time loop in place fell abruptly.

Hadrian froze for a moment, confused. Then he heard the sound of wings and turned around only to tense at the sight of an angel.

He was sure the other angel was beautiful and heavenly and all that, but after having seen Gabriel… Well, there was simply no comparison.

Hadrian looked wearily at him as the unknown angel stared at him, unashamedly looking him up and down before giving a pleased smile.

"My name's Metatron."

Hadrian didn't say anything, unsure as to how he should react. He discretely looked around, looking for Gabriel.

"My brother is a little busy right now." said casually the angel. "He's one lucky angel, that's for sure; that smells heavenly. Do you mind if I try it?"

The teen still didn't say anything as the newcomer helped himself to a biscuit. He was even more tense now, worried for Gabriel as he was.

"Oh, don't look at me like that. They won't hurt him. Too much." added as an afterthought.

The wizard clenched his fists as the angel took a seat at an armchair. This felt so surreal.

"What do you want from Gabriel?" Metatron felt a shiver run through his body at the sweet sound of the human's voice. "He's tired of his brothers fighting each other. He doesn't want any part in the Apocalypse."

Metatron laughed at that and Hadrian frowned. What was so funny?

"The Apocalypse? Oh, please, that's so out-dated." laughed the angel shocking him. "I don't know how long you've been hiding here, but the Apocalypse ended years ago."

The human was shocked by this information. When they had gone into hiding it had barely began. They knew now that time went on much faster outside than in their own little bubble.

He couldn't help but think that maybe he should have asked Death to keep them updated.

"What do you want from Gabriel, then?"

"Can't one visit his brother?"

The human arched an eyebrow incredulously.

"But let's not talk about business now." said the angel clapping his hands together. "Tell me about yourself. Why are you here with him? I still don't even know your name."

Hadrian remained stubbornly silent and Metatron sighed.

"Okay, let's play a little game. For every question you ask, I'll ask you another."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"Why would I lie?"

Hadrian looked to the door and then back at Metatron, thinking about it. He wanted to run out and go help Gabriel, but he didn't even know where Gabriel was.

With a soundless sigh, he took a seat in front of Metatron.

"You can start, if you want." said the man.

"Who are you?"

"As I already said, my name's Metatron. I was God's scribe and I'm the new God."

The human raised a sceptical eyebrow, but the other didn't add anything.

"And your name is?"

"Hadrian."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful man." said Metatron charmingly.

The human blushed, but didn't comment.

"What do you want from Gabriel?"

"His help."

"For what?"

"Ah, ah, ah, it's my turn." smiled Metatron.

Hadrian scowled, but kept quiet.

"What are you doing here with Gabriel?"

"Hiding."

This time it was Metatron who scowled, though he quickly wiped the expression off his face.

"Touché."

"What do you need Gabriel's help for?"

"I need him to use his Trickster abilities to represent a little scene down on Earth." seeing Hadrian's expression, he decided to elaborate. "There's an angel, Castiel, and he's a little reticent to accept his place in the new big scheme of things. I want Gabriel to… persuade him."

The wizard definitely didn't like how it sounded.

"Why did you and Gabriel hide here?"

"Gabriel thought it would be the last place anyone would think we were in. And it would be funny."

"And why did you decide to go into hiding?"

"My turn." said simply the teen taking some sort of pleasure from his put off face. "What if Gabriel doesn't want to help you?"

"Oh, he will do it. One way or another."

The human liked the sound of that even less. Gabriel was an archangel. This angel couldn't possibly force him, could he? For once he wished he had taken Death up when he offered to teach him use his new powers.

"So why did you go into hiding?"

"We were tired of fighting. What did you mean when you said the Apocalypse was out of date?"

"Well, the Apocalypse ended quite a while ago. Michel and Lucifer are on the cage. Team Free Will won. The world didn't end."

So the Winchesters and their angel had managed to cage not only Lucifer but Michel. That couldn't have been easy.

"Wha-"

Metatron's question was interrupted by the arrival of a couple of angels. They both looked as if they had taken quiet the beating, yet they were carrying Gabriel with a knife held to his throat.

At the sight of his lover, Hadrian shot up from the armchair with worry.

"Gabriel!"

"Hadrian, are you hurt?"

The teen shook his head and relief washed over the archangel, but he soon tensed again when he spotted the angel sitting in front of the human.

"Metatron."

"Gabriel, so good of you to join us. Hadrian and I were just having a little chat; getting to know each other, you know. I like what you've done with your haven, by the way. Looks cosy."

Hadrian could see the archangel was still tense, but when he talked he sounded totally relaxed.

"Yeah, well, no sense in living in a hole while my haven sat idly here totally unused."

"Right. But, please, take a seat." the angels holding Gabriel forced him to sit on the couch and Hadrian reluctantly sat back. "Well, I suppose Griel and Niriem have already informed you of what's been going on while you were… absent."

"Yes, I already know of your claims of being the New God." answered the archangel containing a sneer.

"And what do you think?"

"I think it's no wonder daddy-dearest choose to leave instead of having to put up with brats like you." said sounding nonchalant.

A spark of anger appeared on Metatron's eyes but he still smiled pleasantly.

"Pity, I was hoping you would help me."

"Yeah, pity." it was obvious he didn't mean it.

"You see, our little brother Castiel has a paper to fill and, unless he does, I'm afraid he'll find himself a rather tragic ending."

Hadrian felt his eyes widen at the almost unveiled threat and Gabriel clenched his jaw.

"As I said before, a pity."

Metatron frowned a bit and stood up, closing in a few steps the distance between him and a rather nervous Hadrian.

"Maybe if you just, you know, talked to him, gave him a little brotherly push… I would be very grateful for that."

The angel begun to pet Hadrian's black hair in a mockery of a calming gesture and the human tensed. The threat was even more obvious.

Gabriel growled and made to stand up, angry that his idiot of a brother would dare threaten him with hurting Hadrian, but the angels holding him held him back.

"It's easy, brother. You just have to go down to Earth and give him a little lesson. Who better for that than the Tricks-"

"He already told you he won't be doing it." interrupted him Hadrian glaring at the scribe.

Metatron looked between Hadrian and Gabriel. The human looked defiant and stubborn, but the archangel… not many would be able to see it, but there was a spark of fear in his eyes at the sight of his hand on the human.

The self-named New God narrowed his eyes as he thought. Gabriel was an archangel and, as such, he was very much a danger to everything he was trying to build. However, having him as an ally could prove to be useful.

The human, Hadrian, was another story altogether. Metatron liked him. He was beautiful, intelligent and strong. He wasn't sure what the power rolling off of him in waves was, but it didn't matter.

He would do a good Consort.

Gabriel wouldn't allow it, of course, and he would have to be careful in his quest to court him, but it could be done. He only needed some alone time with Hadrian, some time to show him all Metatron could offer him, so much more than Gabriel. And he needed Gabriel to follow him, he had to make sure he wouldn't be a threat to his power or take him out of the equation.

He had to separate them.

"I'm sure we can reach an agreement."

Metatron's words and Gabriel's alarmed shout were the last thing he heard before the hand on his hair pressed down and darkness overcame him.

HPGHPGHPG

Gabriel gave a shout when Metatron pressed his hand against Hadrian's head and the young human slumped forward. A wave of the supposed God's hand and a second later Hadrian disappeared.

Gabriel darted forward, intent on ripping his brother to shreds but the other two angels yanked him back.

"Now, now, there's no need to be so violent, brother. Hadrian is perfectly well."

"If you touch a hair of his head…"

"My, my, Gabriel. You really have strong feelings for him. I never pegged you for that type."

Gabriel snarled at him. He was furious. That idiot that was supposed to be his brother was begging to be killed. He would be, literally, when the archangel was done with him.

"What have you done to him?"

"Nothing. For now." Metatron's face turned unusually grave. "Now, Gabriel, you're going to help me with this problem. If you do this for me, I'll let you return to your life. I won't interfere anymore as long as you promise not to interfere with my plans. It's the best for Earth. But if you refuse… well, Hadrian is an unusual beauty for a human, don't you think? I would like to see what you would do to see him again."

Gabriel clenched his eyes shut and swallowed. For Hadrian and him it had been little more than a month since the Battle of Hogwarts and to have him ripped from his side so suddenly…

He knew Metatron was capable of going along with his threat. His brother would keep Hadrian away from him if he didn't follow his instructions and, although he was pretty sure he would be able to kill him when his Grace recovered fully, he still had a few weeks before that happened. A few weeks that Metatron could use to hide Hadrian better.

"What do you want me to do?"

Metatron smiled widely at him and he was reminded that his siblings weren't as they used to be. Not since Lucifer's fall and God's departure.

A stack of papers, not unlike the scripts of a film, was thrust at him.

"Read your parts. As I said, you just have to represent a little scene down on Earth. And after that, you can keep living on as you want."

Gabriel nodded, resigned. He could do that. He was Gabriel the Archangel and Loki the Trickster God. How hard could it be?

"Metatron." called before the other left raising his head to look at him with dark eyes. "If you hurt Hadrian in any way, I'll tear your wings apart with my bare hands."

"Oh, please, brother, who do you take me for? I'm not going to hurt him. As long as I'm pleased with the outcome of your task."

The sound of wings announced his sibling's departure and Gabriel simply stood there for a few minutes, taking in the silence as he stared at the place where Hadrian had disappeared.

Slowly, the angel got up with the script on his hands. Raising his head, his gaze stumbled upon a photograph of a dark haired young man that was framed and sitting on a table. He was smiling sweetly and his green eyes sparkled in love and happiness as he leaned against a wall.

"I'm not going to lose you now, Hadrian. Not after we fought so hard to get to where we are. This, I swear on my father."

And with that promise and a last look around at the house, Gabriel snapped his fingers and disappeared. He had to prepare for the stage.

HPGHPGHPG

When Hadrian awoke, the pain was the first thing he noticed. His head hurt as if someone had tried to rip it open. He slowly opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the light.

The wizard sat up in alarm when he didn't recognize where he was. This room wasn't Gabriel's haven or his apartment down on Earth.

The bedroom was decorated in classical and obviously expensive furniture. There was a table with a few chairs, a dressing table, a wardrobe and a big bookshelf that covered a wall completely besides the queen sized four poster canopy bed that he was lying on.

There was also a window that showed the darkness of night. The biggest one seemed to be the exit while the other one probably led to a bathroom.

"You are awake."

Hadrian turned so fast he was nearly a blur. A man stood in a corner, his face stoic as he looked at him. Judging by the wings, he was also an angel.

"Metatron will be here shortly. He said you may read anything while you wait. He noticed the books on Gabriel's haven and, as our brother is not very prone to reading, he thought it might be you that enjoy them."

All was said in an inexpressive voice, but it made him remember.

"What happened? Where's Gabriel?" asked Hadrian, his voice soft as he felt fear from the answer.

"He is on Earth, completing a mission for Metatron."

Hadrian frowned at that. So Metatron had convinced Gabriel to help him? What-?

"You said Metatron is coming?" asked when the angel's words finally registered.

The angel simply nodded. Hadrian looked out the window as he thought. Metatron was powerful, he could tell that much, so it would be better to get out of there before he came.

He nearly smiled when he realized that the other angels probably didn't know he was a wizard. That should make escaping easier. Then he would only have to worry about finding Gabriel.

"May I ask your name?"

The unknown angel tilted his head to the side, regarding him before answering.

"I am Sariel."

Hadrian nodded, although he didn't know the angel.

"Well, Sariel, my name's Hadrian." Sariel said nothing and the human sighed. "I'm guessing that door leads to the bathroom."

After the angel's nod, Hadrian stood up from the bed and entered the bathroom without another word. He found there was no lock and sighed.

Turning around, he was surprised. The bathroom was luxurious. There was a big mirror covering a whole wall, with shiny tiles covering the others. In the middle of it all, there was an enormous bathtub and a closet with all kinds of soaps and creams stood to the side.

Shaking his head, Hadrian focused on apparating. When nothing happened, he frowned and tried again and again, getting frustrated when nothing he did worked.

Hearing clapping at his back, he turned around only to see Metatron standing there with a pleased smile.

"I hadn't expected that. I knew there was power in you, but I didn't think you were one of those wizards. Do not bother, that 'apparition' won't work here. Only angel transportation does and only certain angels are allowed to in here. Oh, and if I were you, I wouldn't bother trying to attack me, either. It would be a shame if it turned against you."

Hadrian swallowed. What was he going to do, then? He should have let Death teach him to use his powers as Master of Death.

"What do you want from me?"

"From you? Nothing." he wasn't sure why, but he didn't think it was true. "But I need Gabriel to do something for me and the only way is this. He was furious, you know? But now he's desperate enough to help me. The things love makes us do."

Hadrian felt his eyes widen and his heart ache. How he wished he could talk to Gabriel right now, to tell him it was alright. That he didn't need to help Metatron. But he knew Gabriel would do it anyway, because it was to protect Hadrian.

"I've left you more comfortable clothes on your room. When you're dressed, let Sariel know. He'll call for me and we'll have an early dinner."

And with that, the angel disappeared.

After a few minutes staring at nothing, Hadrian took a deep breath and returned to the bedroom. There he found an elegant green silk robe and black trousers waiting for him.

For now he could only follow through with whatever Metatron had planned and try to gather as many information as he could both about his plans and what had been going on in Earth.

A tear escaped from the corner of his eyes and he cleaned it fast. He had to be strong. He had fought in a war, this was nothing.

He just hoped Gabriel was fine and didn't end up hurt. He couldn't lose him.

HPGHPGHPG

After a week gathering as many information as his limited time allowed, he was ready. He didn't like doing this, but he had no other option. He wouldn't lose Hadrian, no matter what he had to do.

The stage was ready. Everything, even the smallest of details, carefully planned. Everything had to be perfect.

A flicker of lights, a little TV appearance…

"Hello, remember me, buddy?"

"Gabriel." muttered the blue eyed angel staring at the motel TV.

"I'm going to take that as a 'yes'."

Castiel turned around only to come face to face with the last free archangel who stared unflinching in his blue eyes.

Gabriel hated doing this. He really hated it, but it was for Hadrian. For Hadrian.

"I need your help, brother."


End file.
